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| Ungrouped | By Knowl | 01/11/2009 at 14:02 |
By Knowl
Oh no the kids aren’t experienced yet, why support when we can grumble and boo and show distain for their efforts!!
Okay, I’ll admit I’m pretty pissed off with it all but I’m proud of our players after yesterday and barring three players I think they can be proud of themselves, but even those three will come again and learn from the experience.
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| Saturday 03rd October – 12.00 pm The Ricoh. |
Three Parish Notices.
Firstly, when you have a back line and midfield so inexperienced you need the captain and senior player to take the pressure off the lads and give them time to settle. The first of Morrisons two major mistake came in the first 30s, we cleared the ball to the centre circle and all Clinton had to do was flick the ball first time to Van Aanholt and we had relieved the pressure, or he could have held off his player and rolled the ball to Cork, however, Clinton lost the ball easily and we were punished. Now its important how we all react the players and the fans. Well even know we still had nearly 90mins to recover the fans, well the majority around me anyway, gave up the ghost and decided that the only way to get anything of the game was to abuse the kids and point out their every mistake. The players obviously got nervous and even though they tried to play the ball around the crowds anxiety added to their own worries and we panicked. Yet we still put a couple of very good moves together and Van Aanholt was unlucky when he got round the back on the left handside and unfortunately ran the ball out of play. We were also unlucky to have a goal disallowed and we saw a great chance for Gunnar fired over. It took us 20mins to settle down but settle down we did.
Secondly the change at half time was the sort of change I dread seeing, 352 is not a good formation at the best of times and even less so when the back five are so raw. The centre backs get confused over where to go and without a natural leader at the back this move was the most shocking of all Colemans decisions leading up to and during the game. However, once we went two down the players continued to go for it and Clarke showed that he is a competent footballer even in the oppositions half and with the introduction of Best I thought we took the upper hand and after Clinton missed his sitter it was only a matter of time before we dragged one back. Best once again beat two men, remember the patience and love we showed this lad a year ago?, and now people want him to show us loyalty? I would tell the Cov fans to fuck off!!, and fed Eastwood who fired into the corner, some of the supporters had no right to celebrate that goal because they didn’t deserve it, the players did!!
Lastly, with the mountain of getting back into the game having been climbed it was too much for the lads to keep it up and to be fair Reading used all their experience and they killed the game for 5mins, the game didn’t flow and they took the sting out of the fight back and nailed the final nail in the coffin with their third. But I was proud of our lads they had given everything and will have learnt an awful lot from the experience and in the long run believe it or not we are a stronger team for it. Grandison and Clarke will come good, the clamour for their inclusion was mounting and it was nice to see a back 4 with 3 academy graduates in it, it shows that we are willing to give the kids their chance and I for one would rather see the Clarkes and Grandisons of the squad get a chance than having players like Duffy on loan again or Hawkins filling up a squad place.
| HOW THEY LINED UP |
Coventry: Konstantopoulos, Craine, Clarke, Grandison Turner, Van Aanholt (Hussey 73), McIndoe (Best 57), Cork, Gunnarsson (Osbourne 57), Van Aanholt, Eastwood, Morrison,
Subs Not Used: Ireland, Osbourne, Best, Hussey, Ward, Madine, Bell.
Booked: Ward.
Sent Off: None.
Goals: Eastwood 64
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Dimi - 7 Could do nothing with any of the goals and apart from that didn’t really have many saves to make. His first start in a Cov shirt for an awfully long time and with he needed to organise his defence more than he did but he didn’t let anyone down.
Craine - 5 Got to be honest, his poorest performance in a Cov shirt by a long way. His distribution was substandard and he looked more worried than anyone else during the first half. Needed to take the lead with Grandison alongside him but failed to show the maturity I expected from him.
Clarke - 6 Should have scored right at the death and looked good when utilised as a right wing back in the second half. Was exposed by Jobi McAnuff in the first half but there is absolutely no shame in that and could have done with Van Aanholt being slightly more intune with the game that he was but Clarke will have learnt more from that than he would have done by sitting on the bench and at the end of day we have been complaining about this for years and now we are finally giving players their games early we have to accept their limitations.
Grandison - 6 Shakey start but was up against the best player he has probably ever played against in Rasiak, who is both a big strong bugger as well as being tidy on the deck. The decision to go to a back three at half time did him no favours as he was the central one and he looked a bit lost but who wouldn’t be a little shell shocked after the start he had to his pro career. Ended the game with a run down the right wing with resulted in a great cross for Clarke, this is the start of a long career for the lad and I’ll remember his first league start at the Ricoh for the positive reasons and not for the first twenty minutes.
Turner - 6 It can be easy to forget that Turner is still a kid, he was only making his 57 league start yesterday and he is still learning his game so, IMO, some of the expectations being put on his shoulders are a little unfair, however, I have made similar comments in resent weeks about him taking the lead more but yesterday was something that must have come as a shock to Ben. He was often playing a different defensive line to the two kids either side of him and he needs to be shout and scream at the others until they are inline with him. It is common when you are young to look for a safety marker and that can be the edge of the penalty area when you are a defender and this was the case yesterday and it was up to Ben to bring them out. In the second he was constantly being dragged over to stop McAnuff and that left us exposed in the middle. Another player who will have been aided by the experience and it is up to him how things progress from here.
McIndoe - 5 With a lacklustre Craine behind him and a defence looking to safety first it was the sort of game to be out of position. McIndoe didn’t do enough to be involved in the game and was no better when moved into the middle, another focus of the boo boys, McIndoe is not the winger some want and is not playing in a system he wants.
Cork - 7 The lad is too good, when we played well and when we got the ball down and moved the ball through the middle, which happened more often that some would have you believe, Cork was the conductor of the orchestra occurring around him. A couple of delightful first time passed throughout the game demonstrated his quality and he would be the first name on my team sheet and illustrates what a well thought out loan can have on the side. Unlucky not to score when he hit the bar and when Best came on he had two let out balls which gave him even more scope to hurt the opposition.
Gunnar - 6 How fit was he? When he was involved in attacking moves and when he was used as piece of the attacking jigsaw he looked good. When he was asked to start a move or get on the ball and play the ball simply he was poor. He lacked that spark he can bring to the team but there were signs that a central midfield partnership of Cork and Gunnar could well prove affective.
Van Annholt - 5 A lost little dutch boy in the first half and no more aware of his surroundings in the second. I would say he looked confused but I think that doesn’t tell the whole story, yes he may well look like a left winger and it has worked in previous games, Tabby was obviously a weak looking link in the Reading defence and he had Van Aanholt in his pocket all game and even ran him back towards Dimi more often than he was going the other way. I would be surprised if he hadn’t been relived to have been hauled off.
Clinton – 5 At fault for the first goal, and when you are Clinton Morrison and you have been dishing out the critcism for a couple of weeks you have to put the ball where your mouth is and his dismal finish when through one on one was pathetic. People can claim all they want it was a good save but I’m sorry if you hit the ball straight at the keeper it isn’t a good save it is a poor miss. Once again his link up play was poor and following on from last week it was Eastwood who ran past him to close a defender down. If we are to play 442, Morrsions place in the most under threat.
Eastwood - 8 Tracking back to help the left wing back when we were under pressure, he held the ball up well and linked with Cork on numerous occasions and at times he even looked like he had an understanding with Morrison. A great strike for the goal and no one can be questioning his attitude and work rate today. There were positives yesterday and the performance of Eastwood was one of them, lets hope this isn’t another false dawn but he needs to play upfront, as he stated that is only his second start through the middle this season, and maybe it will come for him.
Subs
Best - Came on and suddenly we found a focal point for the attack, he did all the jobs Morrison had laboured at during the previous 57mins. One maurding run left a Reading player on the floor and could have had another assist after the way he played Clinton in. Pity he wont be here in a years time but has shown what happens when you get games under your belt and progress into potential.
Ozzie - Looked unfit and while put himself about was less effectual than Best at offering something different.
Hussey - One great cross shows what might be awaiting us in the future.
Coleman 6
Not going to hammer the guy that’s for everyone else todo. I’m glad he had the confidence to play Grandison and Clarke and he is looking long term if others can’t see past yesterdays performance.
Is probably looking forward to the international break to get players back fit.
Made a massive mistake in changing to 352 as it opens up the flanks to the opposition but heh hopefully he will learn from that.
In short.
6 of the starting 11 have played less than 100 league games at competitive level and it showed. At times we played some lovely stuff and we tested their keeper on 9 occasions and on another day Clarke, Cork and Turner might have opened their accounts for the club. Yesterday was a day for some to progress from boys to men it was a pity the fans couldn’t accept that it was time to support the players who will be making up the first team for years to come and instead showed that some go demanding to be entertained and don’t go to offer support.
Play up Sky Blues.
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